Lord Rooker: Ammonium sulphamate is being withdrawn in accordance with an EC review of pesticides under Council Directive 91/414/EEC as the dossier of studies submitted for the review of this chemical was judged to be incomplete. The use of ammonium sulphamate in gardens or for commercial use must cease by 22 May 2008.
	We have not received any reports of serious harm to people or the environment as a result of the use of ammonium sulphamate. However, we support the EC review initiative as a whole. It aims to ensure that all existing pesticides meet modern standards to protect human health and the environment. Many older pesticides were licensed on the basis of limited data which do not meet these standards.

The Lord Bishop of Ripon and Leeds: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	On how many occasions during the period1 January 1999 to 31 December 2006 local authorities objected to residential assessments in proceedings under Section 38 of the Children Act 1989; and on how many occasions during that period local authorities made no objection.

Lord Adonis: Information on the cost to legal aid of proceedings under Section 38 is not recorded centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. No assessments have been made, comparing the impact on children and families, or their costs, of residential or other forms of assessment.

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the cost to public funds of (a) the defence teams; (b) the prosecution teams; and (c) other items, including advice of counsel on the likelihood of conviction and on the public interest in prosecuting, related to the court martial in the prosecution of (i) Colonel Jorge Mendonca; (ii) Sergeant Kelvin Stacey; (iii) Lance Corporal Wayne Crowcroft; (iv) Private Darren Fallon; (v) Major Michael Peebles; (vi) Warrant Officer Mark Davies; and (vii) Corporal Donald Payne.

Lord Drayson: Only the estimated costs to public funds relating to the court martial of seven Army personnel can be provided, because some bills have yet to be submitted. The current estimated costs of the defence and prosecution teams are shown in the table below:
	
		
			  Prosecution Costs Defence Costs 
			 Counsel's fees £664,400 £6,083,900 
			 Hotels £28,200 £95,000 
			 Car hire £6,500 £100.00 
			 Miscellaneous (travel, production of documents) £55,900 £120,100 
		
	
	Additional costs include hotel, travel and subsistence costs for witnesses, catering, transcription costs, interpreters and translators and miscellaneous court administration costs. These are estimated at £369,800.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Health visitors and nurses working in the community have a key role in assessing local health needs and demonstrating to commissioners their contribution to better health outcomes, in particular for disadvantaged groups. Health visitors provide a progressive universal service to all families and identify health needs to enable them to work closely with the most vulnerable children and families. They focus on early intervention and prevention and much of the work of health visitors involves identifying where children are at risk, and in their contribution to child protection plans for specific children and their families.
	We have introduced a number of policies aimed at the strengthening of prevention and the integration of services which has been consistently endorsed in Every Child Matters, the Chief Nursing Officer's review of the nursing contribution to vulnerable children; the national service framework for children, Young People and Maternity Services, Our Health, our care, our say, Maternity Matters, and, the policy review of children and young people.
	We are reviewing the role of health visitors. This review is being informed by the views and experiences of a wide range of stakeholders, including frontline health visitors, which have been gathered through a series of regional events called "Let's talk about health visiting". These events engaged with practitioners, local leaders and commissioners in clarifying the role of health visitors for the future. This work is closely linked to the Modernising Nursing Careers career pathways and educational preparation of all nurses working in the community, ensuring the community workforce is fit for the future.

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the infrastructure payment for services proposed in the Department of Health consultation, Arrangements for the reimbursement pricing of stoma and incontinence appliances under Part IX of the Drug Tariff, would affect dispensing appliance contractors differently dependent on their output.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: In reviewing the arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff, it has always been one of the department's stated objectives to ensure fair remuneration of valued services provided by the pharmacy and appliance contractors.
	In the consultation document entitled, Arrangements for the remuneration of services relating to appliances within Part IX of the Drug Tariff, it was proposed that dispensing appliance contractors would receive a banded infrastructure payment, depending on the volume of prescription items dispensed in one particular month. The purpose of this payment is to cover elements of service that are less volume-related compared to dispensing, such as operating within a clinical governance framework, requirements relating to dispensing repeatable prescriptions and provision of clinical information.
	Views were sought on this proposal and the consultation closed on 2 April 2007. Given the volume of the responses to the consultation, the department has decided that it needs more time to analyse the information provided. Consequently, no changes will be implemented in July 2007 as proposed in the consultation documents.
	In conducting this review, a key objective has been to maintain and improve the quality of patient care.

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the proposals contained in the Department of Health consultation, Arrangements for the reimbursement pricing of stoma and incontinence appliances under Part IX of the Drug Tariff, would restrict the ability of firms to choose the prices of the services they provide.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The prices of the services they provide is a commercial matter for providers and not something the department is looking at as part of the Part IX review it is conducting.
	The review of Part IX of the Drug Tariff is concerned with what the National Health Service pays for items and for services. The department is trying to ensure that there is transparency for the NHS between the reimbursement price for items and remuneration for services provided; there is none today. The department also wants to ensure that the NHS and the taxpayer are getting value for money. In addition, a key objective is to maintain and improve the quality of patient care.
	This is why there have been two recent consultations. One set out proposals for reimbursement levels for item price, Arrangements for the reimbursement pricing of stoma and incontinence appliances under Part IX of the Drug Tariff. The other, Arrangements for the remuneration of services relating to appliances within Part IX of the Drug Tariff, set out proposals relating to service provision, both what that service should be and the remuneration that the NHS would make for such services. Here the intent was to ensure fair remuneration of valued services provided by the pharmacy and appliance contractors. It was also designed to make sure that the services provided by all dispensing contractors are to the same standard no matter where in England a user of appliances may live.
	Given the volume of the responses to the consultation, the department has decided that it needs more time to analyse the information provided. Consequently, no changes will be implemented in July 2007 as proposed in the consultation documents.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: It has been announced that given the volume of responses received to the consultations that closed on 2 April 2007, the department has decided that it needs more time to analyse the information provided. Consequently, no changes to the current reimbursement prices for items will be implemented in July 2007 as proposed in the consultation document on item price entitled, Arrangements for the reimbursement pricing of stoma and incontinence items under Part IX of the Drug Tariff.
	The analysis needs to take account of comments made about the department's proposals regarding reimbursement for items and review its proposals in light of this.
	In conducting this review, a key objective has been to maintain and improve the quality of patient care.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: No assessment has been made. The sponsorship of specialist nurses by dispensing appliance contractors is not part of the scope of the Part IX review.
	The review of Part IX of the Drug Tariff is concerned with what the National Health Service pays for items and for services. The department is trying to ensure that there is transparency for the NHS between the reimbursement price for items and remuneration for services provided; there is none today. The department also wants to ensure that the NHS and the taxpayer are getting value for money. In addition, a key objective is to maintain and improve the quality of patient care.
	The most recent consultations closed on 2 April 2007. Given the volume of the responses to the consultation, the department has decided that it needs more time to analyse the information provided. Consequently, no changes will be implemented in July 2007 as proposed in the consultation documents.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Local National Health Service organisations in England are responsible for the development of maternity services. The 2007-08 NHS operating framework requires them to undertake reviews of their maternity services, identify the gaps and barriers to service development and set out their local strategy for delivery of the recommendations in Maternity Matters—Choice, access and continuity of care in a safe service, published on 3 April.
	Distance should not be the only factor, as safety, risk and travelling times are equally important. Wherever women have their babies, the local maternity network will ensure easy access to, and transfer between, all levels of care in a responsive and timely manner.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The average length of stay for women at Rampton Hospital, including those on trial leave, was 4.5 years as of April 2007. It should be noted, however, that this average figure is based on a broad variation among individual patients.
	Patients are discharged from Rampton Hospital when their assessed level of risk is such that their treatment can be continued in conditions of lesser security. This typically involves patients transferring to medium secure units, but in the near future will also include the new women's enhanced medium-secure services available in London, Leicestershire, and in the north-west. There are regular care programme approach meetings, at least yearly but initially six months after admission, where the patient's care pathway is reviewed in the presence of commissioners and representatives from the regional secure units. The progress of individual patients is also subject to independent review by mental health review tribunals, which have the power to discharge patients, albeit with the need for agreement of the Ministry of Justice for those patients on restriction orders. A small number of patients, who are not responding to treatment, may be returned to prison.

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have to reverse the recent decline in school field visits to nature reserves and out-of-classroom environment learning experiences for school children in England.

Lord Adonis: Recent research by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NfER), co-sponsored by the Department for Education and Skills, suggests that provision for learning outside the classroom has either stayed broadly the same or increased over the past five years. Within this, visits to field studies centres, nature reserves, and other natural environments remain a popular and significant element, particularly in primary and special schools.
	Through the Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto launched last November, we have formed a partnership dedicated to increasing the quality and quantity of out-of-classroom learning opportunities for all children and young people. This builds on a range of previous work, including the popular growing schools programme which has helped a large number of schools to make greater use of their own grounds and visits to farms and the countryside to support teaching and learning.
	The work now being taken forward as part of the manifesto promotes the use of out-of-classroom opportunities across the whole curriculum. To support this, the department is now commissioning a major "out and about" package of training and guidance to support schools and early-years settings to provide more and better opportunities for learning outside the classroom. We are also working closely with provider organisations to help them co-ordinate their efforts and meet schools' needs more effectively.